Shuswap sellers down a cellphone and laptop as crooked buyer suspect can’t be found

SALMON ARM, B.C. — Salmon Arm RCMP are reminding residents to be extra cautious when using online marketplace platforms after a man and a woman in the Shuswap were scammed out of hundreds of dollars worth of items last month.

In each incident, reported to Salmon Arm RCMP on Feb. 9 and 23, 2025, the seller from Facebook marketplace agreed to meet a buyer to sell their item. One was selling a cellphone for $760 and the other a laptop for $1,250.

In the first incident, RCMP say the seller agreed to pick up the buyer in Tappen and drive him to a bank to get cash. The seller gave the buyer the cell phone she was selling, then the buyer went inside to get cash, but police say he never returned to pay and was not able to be found.

In the second incident, RCMP say the seller met the buyer in public in Tappen. Police say the buyer convinced the seller he had sent an e-transfer of $1,250, and the seller allowed the buyer to leave with the laptop before the e-transfer was received. The e-transfer was never received, and the buyer again was unable to be found.